It just might be that in 10 years' time people will be grumbling that they can't get a Polish plumber any more and are having to pay an unreliable British workman a lot more to do the same job.
Eastern Europe is fascinating because it has gone from a centrally planned economy to a capitalist one in a very short time - only 18 years. Fortunes have varied. The westernmost countries, such as Poland, have seen national income rise by an average of 42% since 1989. South-east Europe - including the Balkan countries, Romania and Bulgaria - has seen national income barely rise, while the former Soviet Union, including Russia itself, still has a lower national income than in 1989.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/12/economics.immigrationas ylumandrefugees
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